Twentieth Century Ships (Reply)

Seven years ago I made my Ships of the Noughties list. Recently it was suggested to me by dustinw5220 that I make a similar list for the nineties. I decided to expand on that a bit to include a whole century rather than just a decade because why not? As usual I found it difficult to decide which ships to include, so before we reach the main event I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge some of my favourite couples who didn't quite make the cut:

Sam/DarrinSamantha Stephens and Darrin Stephens from Bewitched (1964-1972)Ok, so I was always rather annoyed with Darrin wanting Sam to give up who she was, but there was never any doubt about how much they loved each other.

Sam/JackSamantha Carter and Jack O'Neill from Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007)It was such a shame that the military setting ruled out an actual relationship between these two, which almost made the moments when they acknowledged their feelings for each other so much more frustrating.

Sam/JanetSamantha Carter and Janet Fraiser from Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007)It's incredibly rare for me to ship someone with more than one person, but I definitely thought that Sam and Janet could have had something together. Especially since they were essentially Cassandra's mothers.

I've also decided not to double up, so Mulder/Scully, Xena/Gabrielle, Tom/B'Elanna, Harm/Mac, Willow/Tara, Piper/Leo, John/Aeryn, and Charlie/Zoey are not featured in this list because I already included them in my Ships of the Noughties.

And now, without further ado, I present to you...

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Madelyn Hayes and David Addison from Moonlighting (1985-1989)

I didn't watch Moonighting when it was first shown, on account of being a small child at the time, but I caught the show when it was repeated on the Paramount channel about fifteen years later and was hooked by the chemistry between the two leads. Like everyone who watched it first time round, I was eagerly anticipating the moment when they got together. And then it all went to hell. Of course you can't mention Moonlighting without also acknowledging the so-called Moonlighting Curse, which writers even today use as an excuse to keep characters apart, and it really annoys me. Because it's bullshit. The decline of the show wasn't due to Maddie and David sleeping together, it was the ridiculous ways they were kept apart afterwards, such as having Maddie disappear for months and then marry a man she'd just met. A lot of this was due to behind the scenes issues (pregnancy, Die Hard, writers strike, etc), but the fact remains that the writers never even tried to have Maddie and David in a happy relationship, yet somehow they're still held up as proof that characters can't be in a happy relationship. It makes no sense!

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

William Riker and Deanna Troi from Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

Often on those 'Get to Know Me' internet quizzes there's a question about your first ship. For me, Riker/Troi can lay a strong claim to that accolade. I was a huge Trekkie when I was a kid (still am, really) and I loved The Next Generation. Right from the start it was made clear that there was a history between Will and Deanna and I loved the little moments they had together throughout the series. It took them long enough to finally tie the knot, but eventually they had a lovely ceremony in what may be the only redeeming part of Star Trek: Nemesis.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

This would be the other pairing that could possibly claim the title of My First Ship. But whereas Riker and Troi were immediately established as ex-lovers, Crusher and Picard were always a bit more nebulous as as concept. We knew that he had been her dead husband's best friend and that they were close, but an actual romance between the two was only ever hinted at. At least until Attached, which was a shippers dream come true right up until the last moments where all my hopes were dashed and they seemed to shut the door on any potential relationship for good. Although clearly that didn't last because according to All Good Things they got married. And then divorced. It really is difficult being a P/C shipper sometimes!

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Nicholas Knight and Natalie Lambert from Forever Knight (1992-1996)

Before Buffy and Angel, before Edward and Bella, there was another couple who couldn't be together because he was a vampire and she was a human and sex would have disastrous consequences. This was the story of police detective (and 800 year old vampire) Nicholas Knight and forensic pathologist Natalie Lambert. I must admit there's not much I can say about this ship because it has been a long, long time since I saw the series and I can't remember much about it beyond the fact that I shipped Nick and Nat so much that I wrote (very bad) fanfic about them and that I absolutely hated the horrible way they ended the series. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in that.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Lois Lane and Clark Kent from Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-1997)

This is still my favourite incarnation of Superman. I love that it flips the perspective, placing Clark Kent as the real person and Superman as the disguise, and I feel that doing so adds so much depth to the relationship between him and Lois. I've seen people argue that the show stopped being interesting when Lois found out that Clark was Superman or when they got together, but I couldn't disagree more. I think both of those events added so much to the show and I'm so glad that it wasn't afraid of change. We saw Clark and Lois's relationship progress and it felt so real and authentic. And, interestingly, the only misstep I think the show took was when it kept Lois and Clark apart, delaying their wedding, by having Clark marry a frog-eating Lois clone. And no, that sentence is not a joke no matter how much I wish it was.

Another unlikely pairing on the surface, but maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that two outsiders who refused to let society push them around would find each other and fall in love. Their relationship was such an integral part of the series as a whole and it's no surprise that the audience fell in love with them too. I must admit that this is another of those shows that I was really into for a while but then drifted away from, so I'm not sure exactly how they ended up (happily married, I assume.) But now I want to go back and finish the series. Or possibly rewatch it from the beginning because it was quite a while ago now and I can't really remember what happened!

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Jadzia Dax and Worf from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)

When Jadzia and Worf first got together I liked it, I thought they made a good couple. Little did I know how hard I was going to fall for them! I was so excited for their wedding episode, and then in the episodes following I eagerly grabbed on to any and all cute little domestic touches between the two of them. Finding out that Terry Farrell was leaving DS9 broke my heart. I couldn't even enjoy the Jadzia/Worf-centric episode Change of Heart because knowing what was coming next made it seem so pointless. And when Jadzia died I was devastated. I've since learnt to cope with it using that tried and trusted method of denial, but it took a long time.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Fran Fine and Maxwell Sheffield from The Nanny (1993-1999)

About as unlikely a pairing as you can imagine, but maybe that's why they work so well. Fran was a breath of fresh air, bringing life back into the Sheffield household when they needed it most, and in the process fell in love not just with Maxwell but with the whole family. Not that their relationship was smooth sailing, what with Max making a declaration of love when he thought they were about to die only to take it back when they were safely on the ground again. But it all worked out in the end and maybe one day I'll actually see the series finale if they ever release it on DVD here (or I bite the bullet and spend £££ to import the region one version...)

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Monica Geller and Chandler Bing from Friends (1994-2004)

Do you remember when Friends was first on and we all tried to sort the characters into couples? Ross/Rachel, obviously. And Joey/Phoebe had the same quirkiness that made them a good fit. And, well, that left Monica and Chandler. Back then the idea of pairing them up was rather ridiculous, but since they were the only two left then unfortunately they had to go together. Who would have thought that a laughable version of Pair the Spares would turn into the most meaningful and loving relationship on the entire show? It's still funny to remember the London episode where they sleep together and how absolutely shocking it was at the time, because looking back on it now it makes so much sense.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Kathryn Janeway and Chakotay from Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)

This ship started so well, full of so much hope and promise. Two captains, stranded decades from home, doing their best to unite their disparate crews and form a single cohesive unit. A family of sorts. He accepted his position as her first officer and took the role to heart, becoming her rock and supporting her through the difficult situations she found herself in and the hard choices she had to make as captain in this most unusual of circumstances. The formalities of their positions meant that a romance was out of bounds, but that didn't stop the obvious feelings they had for each other. And then it all... kinda fizzled out. And Chakotay started a relationship with Seven of Nine, in what has to be one of the most bizarre writing decisions in any TV series ever.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Buffy Summers and Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)I already included Willow/Tara in my Ships of the Noughties list, but before the witches fell in love my main ship for this show was Buffy/Angel. I guess I'm just a sucker for tragic love stories, although there was a large part of me that hoped they would be able to overcome all the obstacles in their way and find their happy ending. Alas, it was not to be. But I still maintain that they belonged together, and as proof of that I look no further than the Angel episode I Will Remember You. It's very telling that as soon as Angel is turned human Buffy immediately jumps at the chance to be with him, completely forgetting about Riley back in Sunnydale. Angel was always the one for her, and that episode always rips my heart out.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

There you go. I hope you enjoyed my Twentieth Century Ships and please feel free to leave a comment letting me know what you think!